BUILDER OF MEN AFFIRMATION - farmhouse.org

[Pages:134]BUILDER OF MEN AFFIRMATION

The Direction and Study of Ritual

Builder of Men Affirmation presented by the 2006 Conclave Ritual Review Committee in Nashville, Tennessee and fully adopted in 2008. 2016 edition.

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FARMHOUSE FRATERNITY has long designated itself, as the motto suggests, the Builder of Men. It is the belief of the Fraternity that a man is built holistically through intentional development in four concentrations: intellectually, spiritually, socially/morally, and physically. For this reason, FarmHouse Fraternity offers the following Builder of Men Affirmation. The Builder of Men Affirmation is directed by Ritual. It is believed that daily, men who bear a connection to our organization work to uphold the ideals and objectives of our Fraternity, earning the title of member. The following prescribed Ritual outlines an intentional pathway for eternal membership encouraging affiliated brothers to celebrate, discuss, actively practice and become more knowledgeable of our Fraternity Ritual as it relates to daily life.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

RITUAL

7

Non-Secretive

8

Spatial Setup, and Materials

9

Formation of Affirmations

11

Study and Reflection

14

RITES OF MEMBERSHIP

14

THE GREEN EXTENT

First Point of Membership: The Shield Ceremony

(Invitation to Prospective Membership)

18

Second Point of Membership: The Star Ceremony

(Beginning of New Member Education)

23

Third Point of Membership: The Crescent Ceremony

(Conclusion of New Member Education)

29

THE GOLD EXTENT

Fourth Point of Membership: The Pearls Ceremony

(Initiation)

35

THE WHITE EXTENT

Fifth Point of Membership: The Rubies Ceremony

(Conferring of Alumni Status)

49

FURTHER AFFIRMATIONS

58

RITUALS

Weekly Chapter Builder of Men Affirmation

(Opening and Closing)

60

Builder of Men Week

63

Fraternal Leadership Dedication

68

House Director/Resident Advisor Dedication

73

Alumni and Advisor Leadership Dedication

80

Celebration of Life/Memorial Celebration

84

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FRATERNAL CELEBRATIONS

Campus/Community Leadership

88

Lavaliering

91

Engagement/Marriage

93

Honor Society Induction

98

External Honor

100

ELEMENTS OF THE FRATERNITY

AND ITS AFFIRMATIONS

102

The Symbols of FarmHouse Fraternity

104

The Badge of FarmHouse Fraternity

106

The Shield of FarmHouse Fraternity

106

The Coat of Arms of FarmHouse Fraternity

107

APPENDIX

111

FRATERNAL HONORS

113

FarmHouse Awards

113

Distinguished FarmHouse Awards

117

COLLECTION OF TABLE GRACES, HYMNS,

AND RITUAL SONGS

118

A STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

125

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

126

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SECTION 1

RITUAL

THE RITUAL OF OUR FRATERNITY is to be treated with the utmost of respect and diligence--these Rites of Membership and Further Affirmations hold many meanings within the Fraternity and are a reflection of the path numerous brothers have been lead through in an effort of the Fraternity to live up to its motto, Builder of Men. Clearly Ritual is important in the life of a fraternal organization and a serious demeanor is essential. The formal Ritual of FarmHouse Fraternity shall be planned so that both candidates and those performing the Ritual are well prepared and of a favorable mental attitude. The ceremonies that make up our Ritual should be rehearsed and performed with an attitude of appreciation and admiration, especially the Rites of Membership as they are significant moments in the journey as a FarmHouse member. It is important that Ritual be performed as written and clearly with little substitutions, additions or deletion. Ritual, when performed correctly, illustrates in the physical form the connection between one chapter to another chapter, from one member to another. The Ritual, all notes and marks denoting proper performance, have been selected for a reason--passed and approved by our Fraternity through Conclave. It has been said that the action of Ritual is emotion that cannot be put into words. Performing the prescribed Ritual, especially those noted as Rites of Membership, is one of the greatest actions a chapter will perform.

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BUILDER OF MEN AFFIRMATION

NON-SECRETIVE

It is a long standing tradition and point of pride among the brothers of our Fraternity that FarmHouse Ritual is open, meaning non-secretive. In fact, many chapters encourage guests to attend the performance of FarmHouse Ritual. Within the Rites of Membership, the Green Extent is intended to be public and encouraged to be performed in the presence of non-members; the Gold Extent is intended to be public, however, men seeking membership into FarmHouse are encouraged to abstain from viewing the ceremony in order to first experience it in the mind of personal connection and appreciation; and the White Extent is encouraged to be performed in the presence of men associated with the Fraternity as these ceremonies are a reflection of the dedication of a member and is best appreciated by fellow brothers. All Further Affirmations are performed at the discretion of the local chapter, association, or International Executive Board employing such. Guests may be invited to attend or a call for brothers only can be issued. It is also up to the performing group as to what point of membership a man is to have obtained in order to take part in any Further Affirmations, however the performing group should make note of suggestions offered in the introduction section of each Ritual. Regardless of the membership qualifications, or lack thereof, at no time should any Ritual performance be opened to members or associations of a particular chapter or association solely. For example, no restriction may be placed on the performance of a particular Ritual by "Chapter A" disallowing a member of "Chapter B" to attend. All Rituals may and will be published openly to the public by the headquarters staff and International Executive Board in congruence with our policy of non-secrecy. Though Ritual may not be performed or attended by all, Ritual may be read and studied by all. Our Ritual captures the true essence of our organization as proper performance and recitation exemplifies the objectives, values, beliefs and intent of our Fraternity.

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